Reasons for Optimism

My big worry was that Republicans would secure a complete hold on Congress and therefore find themselves in the kill zone when our country inevitably hits a financial, economic and regulatory wall over the next two years. Here is how I see the results and why they augur well for 2012:

The four biggest electoral states (CA, TX, NY and FL) are now evenly balanced between blue and red, now that Florida has swung into the reliably conservative red category. Among the next-tier states, in terms of their importance to national elections, Ohio and Pennsylvania have swung reliably conservative red, with serious damage done to the true-blue Democrat strongholds of Illinois and Michigan. Among the next tier of states that I recall as being bell weathers for national elections, it looks as if formerly blue-purple Wisconsin and Kentucky have swung solidly into the red while the jury is still out on Virginia, New Jersey and Missouri. So, given next year’s redistricting, we should be in great shape going forward.

As for Illinois, California and New York: let there be justice in Democrats presiding over and taking full credit for the disasters they have created. The problems in these two states are far too deep for any change in administration to resolve – the Titanic is already butting up against the iceberg. Schwarzenegger tried and failed to change California. Chicago’s Mayor Daly, smart man that he is, decided to retire before the proverbial financial *.* hit the fan, as Chicago’s debt obligations are far too great for it to dig itself out (rumor has it that Daly is part of a consortium that is positioned to buy-out the lucrative McCormick Expo Center, when it is inevitably privatized to help pay down the debt Daly created). Jerry Brown (CA) and Pat Quinn (IL) are just the buffoons to take their bows at their states’ collapse. Andrew Cuomo (NY)…we shall see.

At the Executive Branch level, I predict that Obama will double down on his Lefty/Liberal-Utopian agenda, become increasing petulant and vicious toward his opponents (the “enemy”), unleash a torrent of burdensome regulatory restrictions on the economy and citizenry, wield the veto promiscuously and damage our foreign policy no end (I still predict a war or major attack breaking out during his term). Let’s hope no more Supreme Court vacancies open during this period.

Let the light shine bright on Obama’s administration: there will be no way that they will be able to blame our country’s problems on a Republican-controlled House of Representatives….provided, of course, that the Republicans don’t blow it. Tea Party activism considered, I don’t think the Republicans will. In fact, we can now begin to see the matriculation of a very articulate, optimistic, “can do” class of Republican leaders (Christie, Rubio, Ryan, Palin, Bachman, Boehner, Kasich, Daniels, Cantor, Pawlenty) that should gel into a powerful presidential ticket with a clear and powerful message.

The problems of our country are so profound and so fundamental that I don’t believe we that we will be able to fix them until we achieve a true mandate for change, one willing to reinvent Medicare/Obamacare, Social Security, pension obligations and taxation. I’m am optimistic that Obama’s next two years will get us to that point.
What say you?

Danny,
Great post; you’ve got a lot of solid hits on this one.
Just a sidebar to follow – don’t forget that 2012 is actually the key year for the Senate. That was the first “war weary” vote in of Democrats. The country has moved back towards the center, and life becomes even more interesting. I don’t know who will be the Republican nominee for Senate in MO, but I’d put them at 55-45 right now, even allowing for St. Louis shenanigans. Callahan (the House Rep) won a narrow victory that included half of St. Louis; that area normally goes 60/40 for the D. It is also the district most likely to get apportioned out when MO goes to eight reps from nine. St. Louis has a shrinking population and with an R majority in the state house, the bluest parts of that district will join up with stupendously (stupidiously?) blue St. Louis City, while the redder sections will be divvied out to the other two districts nearby. The shift will expand the area now occupied by Cleaver (MO-5); this may actually result in bad things for him, as well. All in all, it looks like the midwest is going well, the coasts are still blue (but showing signs of an angry purple), and Texas is, well, Texas.

SSG Dave
“I’d shoot him, but I can’t see inflicting that kind of pain on the bullet.”

stanley

Solid Dittoes DL. Though you give too much credit to Schwarz for “trying”. CA in its present state is unfixable without profound and fundamental changes, the type that will only come about when we wake up from our Golden Days stupor and face reality. Brown will have come full circle to reap the rewards of what he began in the 70’s. It will be fun to see how he deals with the public employee unions, though I expect he will cause much pain to the citizens by overturning Prop 13. If he tries this I expect that the effort will really wake people up. Today I am donating to the Howard Jarvis organization.
As a side note, keep an eye on agriculture, our state’s biggest revenue generator and employer for those who want to work for a living. It is slowly beging driven south beyond or borders. If you think being dependent on foreign sources for energy is bad, what do you think about being dependent on food? For all of the rhetoric about American farmers feeding the world, are you aware we now a net importer of food?

Danny Lemieux

Thanks, Sgt. Dave.
Stanley …yeah, I know about food: I work in the food industry and have friends that are really hurting in the San Joaquin Valley. The California EPA has been a disaster for food manufacturing and much of it is moving out of state. However, I think most people in California (like elsewhere) believe that food comes from a magic machine in the back of a supermarket. They have no clue what they are destroying in terms of Cali’s agricultural bounty and our cheap food supply, all of which they take for granted without ever wondering from where it comes. This year into next, food prices are slated to rise significantly. Maybe that will change peoples’ attitudes.

What I think will be interesting in California is when the pension system collapses. The Fed government will likely bail them out but not before the Cali state workers take major haircuts to their retirement packages. Then you will hear them howl and then, only then, can we hope that the scales will fall from their eyes. Same thing will happen in Illinois. It may take more-than 2 years for that to happen, though.

Very interesting post, Danny! I wish that I could share your optimism. But . . .

“there will be no way that they will be able to blame our country’s problems on a Republican-controlled House of Representatives”

Unfortunately, this will not hold true. Obama and the Democrats have already been blaming the Republicans for their problems and with the Republicans in control of the house more than just die-hard Democrats will begin to believe their accusations.

I do wish that I had more optimism here in NJ; but, Pallone (one of the co-authors of the House Obamacare bill) just got re-elected – 22 years in congress, now will go on to 24 years – ugh!

On the bright side, Anna Little, a tea-party candidate who bumped out the Republican-chosen candidate in the primaries did get 44% of the vote against Pallone and has said that she will run again in 2 years – Let’s hope she does better with name-recognition next time. I won’t hold my breath; but I will cross my fingers, yea!

Also, with enough Tea Party winners hopefully the Republicans will not dismiss any of them next time, so that they can all do better.

one final comment (sorry to be nitpicking!), it is bell wether (no A). I’m sure that you knew that, but with the A it is a typo that many make (including those self-proclaimed elites known as Newspapers) and, unfortunately, it is like finger nails on a chalk board to me.

suek

Charles…
that’s because they don’t know what a “wether” _is_. Another departure from our agricultural past. We have a lot of problems with homophones, but especially when the use of one is rooted in the past, and although the word may be accepted as idiomatic in certain connotations, people don’t know what it means. Wether/weather, reins/reigns…that kind of thing.

Re: food. I’m a block and a half from a major veggie stand. I also “inherited” about 20 chickens. I know next to nothing about chickens, but was told that they like greens. Yes indeedy, they _do_ like greens. I stop by the veggie stand daily and dumpster dive (I was told that was preferable to walking in and asking them for the carrot/beet tops that customers have them lop off) although they don’t really have dumptsters – they put stuff out in plastic crates. And man. They throw out carrots and beets when the green leafy part starts to wilt – but they don’t cut off the root…they throw the whole part away! We’ve been eating lots of beets and carrots lately – I can’t stand to throw them out, and the chickens don’t eat them. The tops, yes – they practically attack me to get them – but not the roots. The horses will eat the carrots, but not the beets. One beet equals one serving. One bunch of beets (about 2.5-3 inches diameter) is about 4 beets. That’s a _lot_ of beets! And…there are just not a heck of a lot of beet recipes out there…although I haven’t tried borsht yet. The chickens also _love_ tomatoes and fresh corn. And melons. Have to make sure the melons are either broken open or have a major bad spot or they can’t really get it, but once they do…boy! They leave the very outside skin, but that’s all. The skin they leave is so thin that it dries up and blows away. Interesting – I never had chickens before.

More than half of the Zombie Dems dont’ even know who controls the House or the Senate. If they are told it’s the Republicans, they’ll believe whatever they are told to believe.

stanley

I would be more optimistic if there were some indication that there was someone in the Republican party who was smart and ballsy enough to beat the libs at their own political games. The Republicans will have a short honeymoon to demonstrate that they are no longer a party of McCains and Grahams and Lotts and something different before the left regroups and demonizes them. Can anyone out there name who this might be? Anyone? Anybody?

RE: Food – I’m “green” with envy – you have a farm stand near by and you have your own chickens. Yea! Your comments bring back memories. Growing up, we had our own garden, chickens, and we also had pigs (Best bacon ever!). Yep chicken love those greens. We also added crushed oyster shells to help make their egg shells harder. I still remember when our neighbors heard that our rooster died and wondered if we were going to replace him – “won’t you miss those fresh eggs?” they said. Um?! you don’t need a rooster for hens to lay eggs – damn crazy city folk. But nothing taste as good as fresh eggs.

Horses do love those carrots. Also apples, and even parsnips. Never thought of giving them beets though. A horse with red teeth? Now, that would be a strange sight.

Here’s a beet recipe that you might like – about 6 beets, peeled, sliced, and cooked. For the sauce combine:

Heat all ingredients for the sauce until it is thick, then add the cooked beets and heat until they are warm. I’ve served these at Thanksgiving and even those who never eat beets like them.

I wonder is there is something in my subconscious that makes me want to comment about food to the point of typing up a beet recipe instead of thinking about another 2 years (or, shudder, more) of Obama?

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